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27th September 1999 Archive

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  • Confusion over Profusion, Coronary over Corollary

    Small bug in Xeon 550s -- not many hurt

    Intel has put on ice shipments of two flavours of 550MHz Pentium III Xeon chips after discovering a bug that caused eight–way servers to freeze. The bug disrupts communication between the processor and Intel's Saber motherboard. It is appears to affect only Xeons with 512KB and 1MB cache -- the 2MB beast has escaped unscathed …

    Business 27 Sep 1999, 08:04

  • Silence is golden for Samsung HDDs

    Pitched at consumer apps

    Samsung is moving to 10.2GB per disk technology with its latest monsters, the SpinPoint V10200 Series. The new high areal density line offers 10.2GB, 15.3GB and 20.4GB capacity points. The spec also includes UltraDMA-66 interface, A/V-optimised firmware, and proprietary shock protection features. The V10200s also come with a new …

    Business 27 Sep 1999, 08:14

  • IBM buddies with MS over Win2k server

    Analysis Near Redmond, IBM techies beaver away on 'Microsoft technologies'

    More than four years on from white-knuckle IBM-Microsoft negotiations over Windows 95 and technology access, the pair are buddied-up again, and IBM has access to Windows NT source code at its Kirkland, Washington site (near Redmond). As Microsoft trial evidence made clear earlier this year, source access for Kirkland was a key …

    Business 27 Sep 1999, 09:14

  • US mobile phone consolidation – five and counting

    Column The switch to digital is helping at least one 'minnow'

    The hectic pace of mergers, acquisitions and strategic alliances among the American mobile operators shows no signs of letting up. Let's do a short recap. Half a year ago there were three mobile operators widely regarded as national players: Sprint, AT&T and Nextel. All three use a different digital standard, all three have a …

    Business 27 Sep 1999, 09:18

  • CallServe launches Net telephony service

    Into shark-filled waters, probably...

    New UK company CallServe is about to launch what it calls the first commercial Internet telephony service in Europe. It says it will offer higher quality than has previously been the case, and at "rates vastly lower than those of conventional telecom suppliers", quoting 3p per minute to the USA "compared with BT's 20p". It would …

    Business 27 Sep 1999, 09:44

  • Tandem founder Treybig holds forth on e-business

    It's the data integrity, stupid...

    Tantau Software, formerly the Tektonic Software Business Unit within the Tandem Division of Compaq, has raised $11 million of venture capital through Austin Ventures, and Techno Venture Management of Germany. Jimmy Treybig, a founder of Tandem and CEO until he retired in 1996, is a partner of Austin Ventures and the chairman of …

    Business 27 Sep 1999, 09:46

  • IBM 1GHz 64-bit PPC to deliver 11,000 MIPS

    Ultra SMP the way to go, says Big Blue

    More information is leaking out about the next generation IBM PowerPC Power4, the 64-bit chip line formerly known as Gigaprocessor, and due next year at clock speeds of over 1GHz. The first chips will be sub-0.18 micron, with 200 million transistors or more. Power4 will have two microprocessors on a single piece of silicon, and …

    Business 27 Sep 1999, 10:19

  • Vocalis deal brings email via the phone to the masses

    Ten ISPs sign up to bring 650,000 users on board

    Voice recognition telephony company Vocalis Group has signed contracts with ten ISPs to offer its SpeechMail service to Net users in the UK. Ace Internet, Airtime Internet, Aviator Networks, Cherryblue Ltd, Croxsons New Media, Cyberscape, INC Internet Services, Madasafish, Strongnet and Telinco have all inked agreements with the …

    Business 27 Sep 1999, 10:22

  • MSN swims against the tide with price rise

    Cost of Net access in the US goes up by $2

    Microsoft has increased the cost of its MSN Net service in the US by $2 a month in a move that is set to raise eyebrows among industry watchers. Only last month discount e-tailer MyShoppingClub announced it was to give new club members access to MSN for nothing. Consumers joining the $59 a year discount shopping club would not …

    Business 27 Sep 1999, 10:38

  • 32-way WildFire Alpha servers poised for rollout

    Somewhat late, the high-end Unix server blitz begins...

    Compaq is to take the wraps off its next generation "WildFire" high end Alpha servers in the next two weeks, with one of the first major outings being - significantly - Telecoms 99 in Geneva. The servers have been a long time in the making, but Compaq intends them to blitz the top end of the Unix server market, and the phone …

    Business 27 Sep 1999, 10:46

  • Intel comes clean over i820 delay

    But launches two new PIIs, i810E chipset...

    Intel today confirmed the indefinite delay of its i820 chipset, while launching the i810 chipset and two new Pentium III processors. Chipzilla came clean this morning -– when everyone had been expecting the i820 to put in its first appearance -– saying there were errors in the memory configuration. Reports of the delay started …

    Business 27 Sep 1999, 10:55

  • IBM to build crypto-on-a-chip into all its PCs

    Wants to create an "industry standard", but rivals will have to wait for it

    IBM will tomorrow launch an all-in-one encryption chip designed to protect documents stored on desktop PCs and servers. The chip, as yet unnamed, will be initially installed in IBM's 300PL PC, but will soon be built into the company's full line of desktop systems. Actually, the 300PL may not feature the new chip since it's based …

    Business 27 Sep 1999, 11:09

  • BT blasted over ADSL pricing

    UUNET alleges tariff will stunt market growth

    UUNET has hit out at BT's method of charging competitors for business-based DSL services adding to criticism about the telco's handling of the roll-out of broadband technology. The business ISP said BT's approach means it will make it too expensive for many service providers to offer broadband services, which in turn will …

    Business 27 Sep 1999, 11:15

  • Flash, bang, wallop -– what a memory shortage

    Handhelds hit by chips drought

    Mobile phone and handheld computer production is being held-up as Flash memory chip suppliers fail to keep up with demand. Benny Ginman, a director of Intel Europe, said the vendor was still able to meet its production commitments, but that was "not in a very good position" to take on extra orders. According to the Financial …

    Business 27 Sep 1999, 11:57

  • Freeserve hops on board the free calls bandwagon

    Limited toll-free access plan revealed

    Freeserve has jumped on the telecomms bandwagon and is to offer limited toll-free access to the Internet. The offer comes on the same day AOL UK announced it is to offer a new pricing plan that gives users Net access at off peak rates all the time. Despite hyping Freeserve Time as "good news for gas-bags and surfers" the deal is …

    Business 27 Sep 1999, 12:08

  • Cost of UK Net access drops by 75 per cent

    AOL unveils flat rate off-peak call charges

    AOL UK has cut the cost of dial-up daytime Net access to just 1p a minute in a move to establish the service as something for the whole family. The normal cost of a peak-time local rate phone call from BT is 4p a minute. The announcement comes the same day Freeserve said its users could get 10 hours of toll free calls a month in …

    Business 27 Sep 1999, 12:11

  • SDMI juggles to quash copy protection confusion

    Sop to music industry could delay compliant players past Xmas

    The Secure Digital Music Initiative (SDMI) attempted on Friday to convince the music and IT industries that its plans weren't in tatters after it emerged the body's scheme for protecting data held on portable music players was hopelessly confused. The SDMI responded with and an announcement that it would soon make an …

    Business 27 Sep 1999, 12:12

  • City goes to work on a £3bn Egg

    Goldman Sachs to advise on IPO

    Egg, the Internet banking arm of Prudential, could be worth more than £3 billion post IPO, valuing it at an astonishing £6500 per customer. The Pru, the UK's biggest life assurer, has appointed Goldman Sachs to advise on the IPO, slated for the first half of next year, according to Sunday Business. Launched in October last year …

    Business 27 Sep 1999, 12:52

  • Taiwan chip makers scramble for spare parts

    No tubes, no chips

    Taiwan's chip makers are working round-the-clock to repair damage from last Tuesday's earthquake, but many are now scrambling to locate vital spare parts. "I think the main problem now for all the companies in the Hsinchu science park, including TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.) and UMC (United Microelectronics Corp …

    Business 27 Sep 1999, 13:17

  • Official: Microsoft doesn't know which Millennium it is

    Y2K disaster here we come, apparently...

    Confusion over Microsoft's on/off Millennium Beta 1 announcement has echoed around the Web over the past couple of days, but that's scarcely surprising, considering how confused Microsoft itself is about it. Microsoft announced Beta 1 accidentally (MS announces Millennium beta by mistake) on Friday, then rapidly pulled the …

    Business 27 Sep 1999, 15:10

  • Apple preps standard, special edition iMacs

    Next gen. consumer machine to be tailored for retail and other markets

    Specifications for the next version of Apple's iMac continue to emerge on the Web, with the latest specs. coming from Mac-oriented Web site Apple Insider. With so many attempts to nail down just what Apple's next iteration of the iMac will contain, it's hard to be sure what's real and what is arguably clever obfuscation put out …

    Business 27 Sep 1999, 15:30

  • Bill Gates is more important than the Pope

    This and more plain daft 'facts' have been uncovered by a top UK paper

    If power is an aphrodisiac, there's little wonder Melinda Gates always has a smile on her face. In a survey of the people who exert the greatest influence over the UK, Bill Gates weighed in at number two. The Microsoft founder beat media mogul Rupert Murdoch, who came in at number four, and home secretary Jack Straw, who netted …

    Business 27 Sep 1999, 16:10

  • UK system builder in a right Mesh over i820 delay

    New PC range announced today -- upgrade postponed today as well

    Ever had the feeling that the left hand didn't know what the right was doing? London-based system builder Mesh today (Monday) announced the launch of an upgrade to its Elite range of PCs. Nothing unusual about that -– PC builders often announce that they're updating existing lines. Except that in this case the new line was meant …

    Business 27 Sep 1999, 16:13

  • Acer follows TSMC's lead with quake fund donation

    Cash for earthquake victims grows

    Taiwanese PC and components giant, Acer, is to donate US$625,000 to the relief fund set up in the wake of the earthquake which devastated the island last week. While Acer anticipates it will be back in full production this week, it is looking for employees to dig deep to help boost disaster relief funds. In a statement issued …

    Business 27 Sep 1999, 16:17

  • Unfinished monkey business

    Online zoo gets up and running

    Howletts Zoo opened the bars to its new Web site today -- three weeks after it had to postpone the launch because the animals had eaten the cables and trashed the Web cams. The site allows animal loving Net users to roam virtually around the animals' enclosures seeing at first hand how wild animals live in captivity. Six colour …

    Business 27 Sep 1999, 16:19